When the Belt and Road Initiative (BRI) was announced over a decade ago, many countries saw their role simply as transit points, conduits for the colossal flow of Chinese goods westward. Azerbaijan, however, envisions something far more ambitious: transforming itself from a logistical waypoint into a thriving center of business, innovation, and investment.

In a recent interview, Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev laid out a compelling vision of this future — one that leans heavily on infrastructure built over the past two decades and on Azerbaijan’s strategic position straddling East-West and North-South corridors. But the country’s ambitions go beyond mere geography. The strategy is to build lasting industries along the Belt and Road, drawing in Chinese capital, technology, and entrepreneurship to fuel Azerbaijan’s transformation into a commercial hub.

Already, signs of this pivot are evident. Azerbaijan has established six trade houses in China and begun exporting wine to Chinese markets, a modest but symbolic entry into one of the world’s most lucrative consumer spaces. More significantly, at a recent bilateral forum, Chinese and Azerbaijani companies inked over $300 million in new investment agreements, a figure that Azerbaijani officials believe will soon scale into the billions.

“We want to talk in billions, and I........

© AzerNews